It
is with great interest that I've been following the adventures
of 'Nordhavn 40 ATW'. Since my wife Trudie and I, along with
our friend Ron, helped Jim Leishman crew this boat (hull 21)
from Dana Point to Seattle in May of 2001, I feel we have
a small part in the voyage, having helped 'shake her down'
in preparation for the ATW voyage. I think we did a good job
of testing this boat, particularly in the hours leading up
to our arrival in Port Orford, Oregon (sea conditions were
a 'little' rough). I think Jim would agree! That boat is unbelievably
tough. Despite challenging conditions, it was an honor to
be included in that journey, and to stand watch and be responsible
for a vessel of that caliber.

I
have a keen appreciation for the challenges the crews have,
and will face on this incredible voyage. That appreciation
is something that wouldn't have been possible prior to our
Dana Point to Seattle passage. There is nothing like a little
time spent offshore in a small trawler to find out something
about yourself. Many thanks to Jim. It was an unforgettable
11 days. I wish everyone the best, and look forward to reading
all about your high seas adventure!

My
questions for Capt. Leishman: How were the Naiad issues handled
(actuator shaft, backing blocks). Did you reduce fin size
for this trip?

Jim
Leishman responds:

NAIAD
thoroughly reviewed the problem we had with the fin actuators
(the starboard actuator arm broke in heavy seas off of the
Oregon Coast on two identical N40's - hulls #20 and #21 -
while cruising together on the voyage up the coast) and determined
that the mounting bolts which hold the actuator assembly in
the hull were interfering with the movement of the tiller
arm on each fin - on both boats. It is believed that the interference
caused added stress on the actuator arm and they fractured
in an identical manner.

Upon
arrival in Seattle both fin actuators were removed from our
hull #21 and the blocks reglassed into position. The actuators
were reinstalled as original and the boat went off to Alaska
accumulating about 3,500 miles up the inside passage and then
made another 1,200 mile passage down the coast with no fin
problems. Prior to departure for the ATW trip, NAIAD engineered
a larger actuator ram and retrofitted it to our boat - along
with a larger hydraulic pump to handle the larger displacement
rams. We decided to leave the original 6 sq. foot fin bladed
on the boat and so far (almost 7,000 miles and 1,000 hrs later)
the system has been flawless.

Also,
is anyone using the electronic 'Reliefbands' to help counter
sea sickness? (We were all using them on our coastal trip
to Seattle. It was funny to see small, flashing lights on
everyone's wrist at night!)

No
electronic relief bands, but lots of Marizene and Bonine.
We still have some of the wrist bands aboard but in actuality
all the rough water so far encountered has been on the stern
and the motion has been much easier than the headsea condition
we encountered off the Northwest Coast.

Last
question: Have you ever had better chocolate chip cookies
than the ones we had while anchored in Port Orford? What a
great time we had laughing with the crew from 'Chinook' (N40-20).